A DIY store manager has been jailed for stealing £2,325 from his employers, despite the “colossal burden” on overcrowded prisons.

Judge Jeremy Carey said there was no alternative to custody because only three years earlier Matthew Attwood had stolen from another employer.

Maidstone Crown Court heard that the 34-year-old took the cash while working at Homebase, Sevenoaks, because he could not afford to pay for his stepfather’s funeral.

Jo Cope, prosecuting, said Attwood, now of Warrington, Cheshire, was a manager in the kitchen and bathroom department when abnormal transactions were spotted. An investigation iscovered that false refunds had been made. On three occasions, Attwood pocketed £441, £500 and £1,383.

When arrested, Attwood said he was drinking heavily at the time and had gambling debts. He needed money to pay for his stepfather’s funeral.

Attwood, now from Warrington, Cheshire, was jailed four months.